


I Hope They Remember You

by Movie_Riggs



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, F/M, Star-Lord's revenge, Still not a happy ending, Tony's legacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 18:26:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15321558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Movie_Riggs/pseuds/Movie_Riggs
Summary: An alternate conclusion to the battle on Titan.





	I Hope They Remember You

Strange was beaten. In spite of all his mastery of the mystic arts, Thanos was too powerful with four of the six Infinity Stones in his gauntlet. The sorcerer lay incapacitated on the ground. 

Drax, Mantis and Nebula were all unconscious. 

Stark had faced the Mad Titan himself as the last line of defense, but not even the most powerful suit he had ever created was enough. With most of the nano parts used up, he took a last desperate attempt at Thanos by forming the right arm of his armor into a sword. Thanos caught the stab easily, snapping the bladed piece off as simply as if it were a wishbone and then running it through Tony's chest in one swift motion. 

Eyes wide in shock, Tony took several weak steps back as Thanos shoved him mercilessly to the ground. His chest was on fire. Blood dripped from the wound and from his mouth, the latter of which he spat into the dirt of the alien planet.

"You have my respects, Stark. When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive. I hope they remember you."

Thanos raised his giant left hand and clenched it into a fist. All four stones on the knuckles of the gauntlet began to glow. Tony bent his head backward in acceptance of his defeat. He only regretted not being able to see Pepper one last time. 

"Stop!"

The voice came out of nowhere. Tony's heart lurched as he was suddenly brought back away from death for a moment longer. 

Stumbling forward, one hand clutching his side and the other raised in preparation for battle, was Peter. 

Peter _Parker_.

Spider-Man.

Tony instantly began shaking his head, which only caused his battered body further pain. 

"Back," he groaned, waving his left hand in agony. " _Back_. Get back."

Peter didn't listen to him. Instead, he only walked closer. The giant, glowing eyes of the Iron Spider suit squinted determinedly. 

"Hey, c'mon, man!" he shouted hoarsely at Thanos. "If you're gonna blast somebody, blast me!"

Thanos hesitated, glancing at Stark. The beaten man was no longer concerned for his own life, but the life of the boy still standing. The giant sighed and shook his head.

"Contrary to what you may think, I'm no killer," he said, casting his gaze at the ground. "I will not take a life when it is not necessary."

Tony gasped a sigh of relief.

"...though, perhaps just this once."

Suddenly, Thanos whirled on Spider-Man, lunging with a battle cry so deep it was almost a roar. Peter leaped from his spot, but his jump was not high or fast enough and Thanos caught him by the leg, slamming him brutally back to the ground. Wincing against the blade protruding through his torso, Tony directed what was left of his suit into a small box-shaped capsule. The capsule shot forward, clasping over Peter's arms, head and chest. 

"Wait, no!" Peter cried, but it was too late. The suit launched him out of Thanos' grasp and kept blasted him dozens of yards away.

Thanos turned back to Stark, who was now completely armorless. 

"Fine. It'll be you after all."

"BASTARD!"

Before Thanos knew what was happening, Star-Lord came flying forward with both arms extended, firing his guns in blind rage. 

Thanos stood tall, and used his right hand to knock Quill backward, then caught him with his left and tore the guns from his hands. 

Quill's mask dissolved, revealing his face as he struggled against the iron grip at his throat. 

Thanos regarded him with an expression that was almost pitying, as if Quill's efforts were saddening for him to watch. As if the man were so disillusioned that it brought Thanos discomfort.

But it was the Titan who was disillusioned.

All of the sudden, a sharp pain went through Thanos' lower back. Growling, he reached behind himself to grab Nebula, who had just thrust her sword through him. Taking her by the head, he slung her recklessly away from him. 

Quill took the instant of distraction to reach to his belt and unsheath the broken sword that had once belonged to Gamora. Extending its blade, he shoved it through Thanos' sternum, drawing purple blood. The fist which had captured him loosened enough for Quill to escape. 

Thanos' expression showed he did not quite believe he had been defeated. He dropped to his knees, one hand at his throat as he gagged. Remembering the illusion that had thrown them off before, Quill ensured the Reality Stone wasn't glowing. And just for good measure, he reached forward and pushed the sword even further through Thanos.

"That," Quill said, barely managing not to choke on his own anger and tears, "Is for Gamora."

Thanos' eyes narrowed, and he bared his teeth bitterly. "You..." he wheezed. "You... You think...you loved her...more than me?"

Quill stepped forward and placed his hand on the hilt of Gamora's sword, leaning so close that he almost couldn't look at both of his enemy's eyes at once. 

"I _know_ I did."

Then he jerked the sword back, and Thanos slumped to the dust of his homeworld, drawing ragged breaths as he bled out.

"Quill?"

Drax and Mantis approached tentatively. Quill looked down at the sword, now stained in blood, in his hand. He dropped it next to his feet. 

Mantis' head suddenly perked up. "Something's happening," she announced dreadfully.

"Mr. Stark?"

The Guardians turned to see Peter, his mask off, kneeling next to a pale and dying Tony. The boy's face was streaked in tears at the awful sight of his mentor. 

"Hey, kid," Tony said. 

Peter reached for Tony's arms, but Tony resisted. 

"C'mon, we've gotta get you up!" Peter whimpered.

Tony shook his head. "Nah, kid, I'm not..." A cough. "I'm not getting up."

"Tony."

Strange was standing some distance away, the Time Stone safe in his necklace.

Tony attempted a glare. "Did you see this coming?"

Strange nodded regretfully. "It was the only way."

Tony shrugged. "Oh, well. I'll allow it. This time. God, my vision's getting foggy."

He raised one hand to his face, rubbing at his eyes as if to clear them of some unseen filter. It didn't work.

"Mr. Stark..."

"You did good, kid."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Tony assured him. "It's not."

Peter bowed his head, crying. Tony's words did little to shake the guilt that was pressing on him.

Tony clapped a hand on Peter's shoulder. "I need you to do better than I would do in your shoes, okay?" he said. "Strange here is gonna get you home." He looked pointedly at the doctor, who gave him a single, solemn nod of affirmation.

"Not without you!" Peter wept stubbornly.

"Parker, please." In spite of everything, Tony rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Don't cut me off while I'm trying to give my last words."

"Go home to your aunt," he continued. "Eat her cooking, even if it's weird and sucks. Look after your friends. Your dude-in-the-seat and that girl you like. Whatever their names are. You're an Avenger, now. Okay?"

"Okay."

"You got anything to say to me?" Tony asked. Mostly he just wanted to hear the kid's voice.

Peter searched for any good words to come to his mouth. There were not many. Suddenly he was just a ten-year old kid in a plastic Iron Man helmet again. 

"You're my hero," he whispered.

Tony felt a surge of pride. Not for himself, but for his protege. "Be your own hero, kid," he advised, and then suddenly seemed to realize there were tears in his own eyes. "Dammit, look what you've done. I always thought I'd be ready when my time came. Now here you are, and I don't wanna go."

In his last moment, Tony thought of many things. Pepper. Peter. Happy. His parents. Steve. But the very last person he thought of was not who he would have expected. It was a man he had known for only three short months, while stuck in an Afghan cave. It was that man's dying words to him.

_"Don't waste your life, Stark."_

After all he had gone through, and all the missteps he'd taken, it appeared Tony Stark hadn't wasted his life after all. Not the last ten years of it, at least. And that was enough for him.

Tony's eyes closed. 

Strange replaced the hand on Peter's shoulder with his own. It was not the comfort Peter wanted in the moment, but he took it.

Thanos' eyes remained open, but blank and empty. 

"We did it," Nebula said simply.

**Author's Note:**

> For whatever reason, I felt like writing something where Star-Lord gets his revenge and Tony Stark passes on the mantle to Peter Parker, so I decided to combine the two.
> 
> My inspiration comes quite sporadically these days, but I do still love posting a one-shot every now and then. What helps me most is the feedback of the viewers. What I'm trying to say here is, I appreciate kudos and comments.


End file.
